Dental Insurance Articles
How Deductibles Affect Dental Insurance Costs
2010-07-29
A dental insurance quote is often one of the most overlooked portions an insurance plan. Dental insurance is similar to insurance for your health, your car or your home, in that it helps to pay bills that may be above and beyond what you can afford. In severe cases, having good dental insurance can save you large amounts of money. As with any insurance policy, dental insurance carries a deductible that stipulates how much the patient must pay before the insurance company will cover the bill. Different companies have different policies on dental insurance, with some paying a high portion of the bill, and others paying a smaller portion.
Unlike auto insurance and home insurance deductibles, dental insurance deductibles are usually only paid once a year. Check with your provider to find out when a year begins and ends, as some companies have a business year that does not start in January. Paying a larger deductible once a year can be a positive and a negative, depending on how often you visit the dentist. For example, if your deductible is $100, and you visit the dentist twice a year at a cost of $100 each time, you will pay the first $100 out of pocket, and the insurance company will pay for everything beyond that, assuming the procedure is covered by your plan. This works very well for people who visit the dentist often or who may need extensive work done.
Conversely, if you visit the dentist once a year, and your total dentist bill is less than $100, you will have to pay the $100 out of pocket, and you will still have to pay your dental insurance premiums. However, even though you may see the dentist infrequently, dental insurance can help protect against severe problems that may arise. Most dental insurance plans have a split where the plan holder pays a percentage of the bill. This is the amount that goes toward a deductible. For instance, if the insurance company would have paid $70 on a $100 dentist bill, $70 is the amount that goes toward filling the deductible, even though you have to pay $100 out of pocket.
When shopping for a dental insurance quote, look at different plans with different deductibles. As you shop, be sure to also compare the premiums of each plan. As a general rule, the higher the deductible, the less the premium will be. The amount of coverage that you have can also affect premium levels. Choosing the right dental insurance deductible can depend on a number of factors, including how much you are willing to pay out of pocket, and whether or not your employer is supplementing your insurance.